Off to the Pyrenees in a week and have just bought some new wheels that need tubs. Happy with the process, I'd just like some recommendations as to the best current tubs for roads, climbing and descending.

I really like the Continental competitions. They seem to be very well equipped as a go anywhere, do anything tub. Very fast rolling, good cornering, very durable. For all but the best tarmac I think they are the best tires widely available.

Evo Corsa's are my favorite race tire in good conditions, but they aren't very durable and aren't very good in wet conditions.

The only tubular I bought with absolutely no defects are the Veloflex Carbons.

My Vittoria Corsas almost all had too much basetape around the valve hole and it creates a bulge on the wheel. I had to cut the excess portion around the valve to reduce that effect. (I bought all my tubulars at Ribbles, I hope they don't systematically sell rejected tubs)...

I'm using Challenge criterium 22 tubulars on my everyday wheels now. I must say I'm pleased with the ride so far (800 km). I used them in a very turny criterium in pouring rain, and I didn't feel they lacked grip. They hold air better than the Vittorias, for as long as the Veloflex's.

I have been using Vittoria Rallys for a trainer tire for many years and within the last few years found that the tires dont seat proper around the valve stem until it has a few miles logged on but it really is annoying with the squish noise that it makes upon every revolution. The higher end Vittorias dont seem to have this problem. The Rally is also puncturing sooner then what it used to so I am now trying the Schwalbe Montello out for trainer tire. This tire is certainly as nice riding as the Rally maybe even nicer and I like it so far. The next big factor will be longevity which will hopefully take some time to find the limits of.

_________________"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving"-Albert Einstein

In my mind "all-around riding" would be training, racing (+commuting to races) in rain or shine on the danish roads and bicycle lanes. People will usually throw the Sprinter at you if you inquire about a durable Tubular tire. I endured about 1½ season of Sprinter mixed with Corsa EVO with many flats and races destroyed (flat frequency about ~1 in 500 kms). I think that most tubulars, also the so-called "durable" ones, are racing oriented and/or light and will puncture (here in DK often by the "the flint") too frequently when used as all-purpose.

Ive been using Vittoria Corsa Evo CX exclusively, but the last two tires didn't seem to mold/seat well to the rim bed when gluing and edge were peeling off. Im very liberal and good with gluing, disappointed really and was losing confidence about crits and hard cornering at high speed when they were doing that.

As another poster above, the valve area was a mess and lumpy with rim tape.

Seems like the QC and quality went downhill over a years period, not sure if anybody else has this issue. They seemed to ride and seat very high on the rim bed. Instead of going outward into the rim bed edge, they would sit higher.

Veloflex sound nice, but dang, pricey...

Last edited by Zigmeister on Mon Jan 13, 2014 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

@chuimomo, I have run the Conti 25 as a rear tire on all my deep Hed wheels. My friends in the World Tour advised that the new, deep rim beds caused pinch flats with 22s. That is why Conti made the 25 as a special 'Team-Limited' tire for a few years prior to producing them for the public. I like them just fine. They are just a fat Conti Comp!

@Zigmeister, one of the things that I have found with post-Italian Vittorias is that the base tapes seem to fit tighter around the valve stem. If you trim the area around the stem with a razor, it seems to seat-in better on the rim bed. As for the other problems, which rim are you running for your crit wheels? I have found some rim beds don't work well with the CX.

@civdic, the Vittoria Pave is a much nicer tire than the Conti Sprinter. Good choice for an 'all-arounder'. The latex tubes are a blessing and a curse. For the pave or pot-holed roads, the pain of the constant pumping of latex tubes pays back big time.

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